In a significant move towards tech-driven law enforcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accompanied by Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna, officially launched the artificial intelligence-powered 'Yaksh' application on Saturday in Lucknow. This innovative platform is designed to serve as a comprehensive digital registry for criminals involved in serious and high-profile crimes across the state.
Core Features: Real-Time Monitoring and Beat Accountability
The 'Yaksh' app establishes a robust system of accountability at the grassroots level of policing. Every listed criminal is mapped to their resident police station and specific beat area. This design makes the local beat constable directly responsible for the physical verification, continuous monitoring, and reporting on these individuals. The platform mandates this regular verification, ensuring that records are constantly updated and accurate.
Officials highlighted that the app enables close, continuous surveillance of criminals. A key innovation is a transparent, score-based system that identifies and monitors the top ten criminals in each district. Each accused is assigned a colour code based on their category, allowing police supervisors to instantly assess threat levels and prioritize police action accordingly.
AI-Powered Tools for Investigation
A major highlight of the 'Yaksh' application is its suite of AI tools aimed at speeding up detection and investigation. The app integrates AI-powered facial recognition technology, which allows for the quick identification of suspects from visual data. Furthermore, it features an AI-driven voice search function, enabling investigators to query criminal databases and case details using simple voice commands.
Perhaps one of the most advanced features is the app's crime GPT module. This allows police personnel to interact with crime data conversationally. Investigators can ask detailed questions about First Information Reports (FIRs), past cases, gang affiliations, or accused profiles and receive structured, analytical answers. This eliminates the tedious need to manually sift through voluminous paper records and files.
Seamless Integration and Advanced Analysis
The 'Yaksh' platform is seamlessly integrated with the national Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS). This integration ensures that once an FIR is registered or a chargesheet is filed, the details of the accused are automatically updated in the app, maintaining real-time accuracy across the entire Uttar Pradesh police network. The app also facilitates the digital verification of licensed arms and ammunition, aiding police in tracking potential misuse.
Another critical feature is the generation of real-time alerts whenever a listed criminal changes their residence. The app also empowers beat personnel to report illegal activities directly from their areas, strengthening preventive policing. Officials stated this reinforces the principle that the responsibility for criminals in a beat lies squarely with the beat constable, bringing accountability to the lowest operational level.
For tackling organized crime, 'Yaksh' includes an AI-driven gang analysis module. This tool automatically links criminals who operate together across different cases and districts. Instead of manually analyzing countless FIRs and diaries, police can now view complete gang structures, interconnections, and criminal networks in a single, consolidated format, significantly improving action against organized crime syndicates.
A Step Towards Modern Policing
State officials described the launch of 'Yaksh' as a definitive step towards modern, data-driven, and transparent policing in Uttar Pradesh. By combining artificial intelligence, real-time data integration, and beat-level verification, the platform aims to ensure faster detection of crimes, stronger monitoring of criminals, and the effective dismantling of criminal networks across UP. The app is currently being rolled out for use across all districts and will be accessible exclusively to authorized UP Police personnel.
